What is a Paperhanger?
Job Description: Cover interior walls or ceilings of rooms with decorative wallpaper or fabric, or attach advertising posters on surfaces such as walls and billboards. May remove old materials or prepare surfaces to be papered.
Daily Life Of a Paperhanger
- Trim excess material at ceilings or baseboards, using knives.
- Remove old paper, using water, steam machines, or solvents and scrapers.
- Trim rough edges from strips, using straightedges and trimming knives.
- Fill holes, cracks, and other surface imperfections preparatory to covering surfaces.
- Apply adhesives to the backs of paper strips, using brushes, or dunk strips of prepasted wallcovering in water, wiping off any excess adhesive.
- Check finished wallcoverings for proper alignment, pattern matching, and neatness of seams.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Paperhanger?
When polled, Paperhangers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Related Job Titles
- Hanger
- Vinyl Hanger
- Interior Decorator, Paperhanging
- Advertising Installer
- Billboard Poster
Are There Job Opportunities for Paperhangers?
There were about 5,700 jobs for Paperhanger in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 5.3% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 300 new jobs for Paperhanger by 2026. There will be an estimated 500 positions for Paperhanger per year.

The states with the most job growth for Paperhanger are Iowa, Florida, and North Carolina. Watch out if you plan on working in Tennessee, New Mexico, or Nebraska. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
What is the Average Salary of a Paperhanger
The salary for Paperhangers ranges between about $26,700 and $58,570 a year.

Paperhangers who work in New York, California, or Michigan, make the highest salaries.
How much do Paperhangers make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $43,200 |
Arizona | $35,780 |
Arkansas | $31,460 |
California | $50,130 |
Colorado | $42,730 |
Florida | $36,850 |
Michigan | $39,830 |
Missouri | $36,940 |
Montana | $27,840 |
New Mexico | $34,400 |
New York | $45,650 |
North Carolina | $41,450 |
Ohio | $40,580 |
Oklahoma | $33,630 |
Pennsylvania | $36,910 |
Texas | $36,970 |
Washington | $38,250 |
What Tools & Technology do Paperhangers Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Paperhangers may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal
- On Center Quick Bid
- Construction Software Center EasyEst
- A-Systems Jobview
How to Become a Paperhanger
Learn what Paperhanger education requirements there are.

What work experience do I need to become a Paperhanger?

Where do Paperhangers Work?

The table below shows the approximate number of Paperhangers employed by various industries.

References:
Image Credit: Margo Wright via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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